Free meals for hard-hit students at Newham College

Newham College is giving out around 1,500 free meals to students each week in a bid to tackle cuts in government grants.

Managers have said that hundreds of learners would be unable to study at the college if they were not given luncheon vouchers.

Denise Brown-Sackey, Principal of Newham College, said: “The lunch is making a big difference. We want east Londoners to take part in a learning revolution and it’s one of our options to help young people in difficult financial times.

“We’ve put a lot of thought into the nutritional balance of the food and I’m pleased that to date we’ve provided over 5,000 meals to our young students.”

The scheme was implemented in September following an Association of Colleges (AoC) survey that blamed the scrapping of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for a drop in student numbers.

The meals, which benefit more than 1,000 students, are available to all learners under 18-years-old and to under 16s using the College for part of their school work.